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Overall, Hasbro did what very few companies are doing nowadays. That is releasing original games doing original things. The graphics are a sight for sore eyes, the sounds tickling your funny bone. But the gameplay again coming through as a strong element in this game. You'll have fun for hours fighting, solving, and fighting some more.

If you're willing to accept this game for what it is - which is a highly playable if unsurprising diversion from the endless stream of Quake and Red Alert wannabe's that have plagued the PC games platform in recent times - you may be pleasantly surprised at how addictive it can be. It's not as enduring or delightfully inventive as Nintendo's efforts, but it's a reasonably good substitution on PC. If you're still unconvinced, wait for the demo next month and make up your own mind.

In overall, this is kind of mixed bag to recommend. Yes it's cool, good action, and some levels are well made, but you might get turned off by the strangeness of the game. The kids will love it for its wackiness. For gamers above 12 year olds, buy with caution.

H.E.D.Z. presents an offbeat idea and could have rushed to the head of the gaming pack and been a lot more successful than it turned out to be. The designers were clearly headed in the right direction, but something must have flung them headlong down the wrong path. It almost seems like they gathered a head of steam with initial innovations in the game’s development but could not quite pull off the whole idea at the end. I do not feel that they need to hang their heads in shame, as this game is not a complete disaster by any means. Trying to be as level-headed as I can be in this game’s assessment, I think that most players will turn their heads away and lose interest rather quickly here. In finally bringing my argument to a head, I feel that headstrong gamers who rush out and buy H.E.D.Z. may later be heading for the return lines even if they make significant headway through the levels.

Still, if kids are the target audience, the underlying story is a bit over the top. Adult players, on the other hand, are likely to find the game lacking in challenge and rather silly. A clearer focus on one market or the other would have made this a better game.

Although H.E.D.Z. is a third-person over-the-shoulder shooter, I hesitate to even invoke the names of other well-known games that use this vantage point because they don’t belong on the same page as a discussion of this game. H.E.D.Z. has a long list of things that are not very good. It seems that Hasbro believes that you and I will buy just about anything, and this turkey fits in perfectly with that strategy.

In the end, H*e*D*Z isn't really a game for anyone. Fans of action games will find their time better spent elsewhere, and kids will find just about anything better than this uninspired and boring game.

In case you are thinking that maybe the game was designed for a slightly younger audience, I offer the following. My son loves sitting with his father playing just about any game that comes along -- first-person shooters, RPGs, real-time strategies, whatever. He just likes spending time with me that way. He was begging me to turn it off within five minutes. He’s never done that before. Truly, this game is not worth anyone’s time. Don’t even take it from the bargain bin.